1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shotshell for expulsion of material from a barrel. More particularly, a portion of a plastic hull has a layer of a material that adheres to an exterior surface of the hull protecting the hull from the chamber of the barrel. This configuration prevents the plastic hull from exposure to heat that would adversely affect the structural integrity of the hull.
2. Description of the Art
Industrial ammunition such as lead, zinc or steel slugs, are used to assist industry in the area of rotary kilns and furnace tapping.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/862,048 by Dippold et al. filed May 22, 1997 discloses a metallic slug for industrial ballistic tool. This application is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
Projectiles, such as pellets or a single slug, are loaded into a cavity in the hull during the shotshell manufacturing process and the assembled shotshell is placed into a the chamber by an operator to be discharged from the muzzle end of the barrel.
Conventional plastic shells are not satisfactory when used in elevated temperature conditions, such as those caused by rapid continuous firing or external furnace heat, because the high temperatures may melt or soften the plastic hull. This causes an undesirable plastic residue from the hull that can accumulate in the chamber of a firing apparatus such as a gun or industrial tool. A second drawback of a conventional plastic shotshell is that with the muzzle of a barrel elevated, typically more than 10 degrees, the conventional plastic shell has a tendency to slide backwards out of the chamber before the breech can be closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,409 (Williams et al.) discloses a spiral wound shotshell. This patent discloses a tubular body fabricated from three distinct layers of materials where all of the layers are laminated together to produce a composite or laminated tube. The outer layer is made of materials such as polyolefin films, cellophane, polyester films and metallized films. The intermediate layer is formed from materials such as metal foils, paper reinforced with fiberglass, paper and polyolefin laminate. The inner layer is formed of materials such as waxed paper, film laminates, paper and foil laminates. The layers are formed by spirally winding band or ribbon-like materials where each layer is wound with a given lead and with a given hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 563,157 (Gardner) discloses a paper-shell cartridge having a paper tube and drawn sheet-metal cap, which is continuously upset around its circumference.
These patents fail to disclose a shotshell having a hull with a layer of material adhering to a portion of the exterior of the hull thereby preventing contact between the hull of the shotshell and the chamber. Specifically, none of the prior art discloses a paper layer wrapped around a plastic shotshell hull.
As can be seen from the present state of the art, there exists a need for an improved shotshell that overcomes the inadequacies of the prior art.